Bulldog44

Roughly measured my pack, 15 mm for the side pouches, 20mm for the middle.50 across. That is with all the foam stuffed inside. But I think if you can see the pack you might buy, compare the pouches, easiest detail to spot.

Hi John, I don't have my pack nearby to measure but will try tonight when I get home . Easiest way to tell the large pack from the medium is the center pouch on the front. It is larger than the end pouches. The medium pack pouches are all the same size. . If you have a link or photo, I can confirm for you.

Had a few more test runs this week and the results are mixed regarding the Smooth On Oynx. I am sure this is because the resin mixes are expired and not as fluid as they should be. Part A mix is already thick and my mixing time needs to be less than 30 seconds, half of the recommended time of 60 second. This makes it harder to get the resin to cover the mold walls and tight spots before the resin starts to gel up and bubbles get trapped. Moreover I have found that the retainer rings are too rigid after they cure making it difficult to screw them onto the scope. A little flexibility is best for these delicate parts so I am considering to cast the smaller parts in the same resin I was using before. The onyx resin also seems to expand more on the surface than the previous resin used maybe due to less surface tension. I am getting raised areas on the reverse side of the rings were they should be flat. The only drawback so far is that it will not be the exact deep black color of the main scope body. The M38 large ring and lens assembly are still the only two parts that do not fit as nicely as I had hoped. I still must remind myself that the real scope rings and lens assembly fit really tight when they are screwed on. So in conclusion, these parts will require some delicate sanding of the threads so smoothly screw on. Hope I can get some fresh Smooth On Onyx soon so I can confirm for sure the true viscosity and casting results. If anyone else has worked with Oynx and can comment on the mix viscosity I would deeply appreciate it. I now have a box load of mistakes.

Good thing these scopes won't be back in the field used for battle. I haven't tried getting my scopes back to working order yet, still need to re-mold them for certain parts. Through their disassembled suffering I hope the copies made will make many troopers happy.

I never intended to do it myself but 3 of my scopes were already taken apart from previous owners so it was easy to try. I did disassemble an untouched M38 but would not do it again for my other M19. Debating on doing it to my 1943 M38 to mold the scope but may not as it is a little risky to make a mess of things and totally ruin a piece of history.

Thanks Chris. Yes, this looks the same as mine. it looked like a two part piece from the side. Really nice condition. You are the scope master! If you have't seen my message on the RPF, I am interested in buying a custom lens remover tool like one you made. One for the M38 and one for the M19. If you have time to make any more, please let me know.

3D hook looks awesome. Nice work on this.

Test Casting with Smooth On Onyx Slow Cure I was able to get some black onyx resin from the Smooth On distributor here in Japan. The distributor sold me a trial kit at a discounted price because the kit has passed its shelf life date. Started with 2 tests this weekend to see if this is the way to go. It is really nice to get pure black casts but because the resin mixes have expired, they seem thicker than they should be making it harder to get the resin to slush around the mold and fill the areas prone to trapping air. First test was a disaster, second test much better. I had to try an alternative way to pour the resin into the mold since it was too thick to use my normal funnel method. Still some major air pockets in the M38 but the M19 casted well. Lots of tiny bubbles though so getting clean casts might not be possible until I get a fresher set of resin mix. I like this stuff though quite a lot and if I can get a few more casts with less trapped air, I will probably use this for my future kits. Speaking of kits, I am sorry I did not post any major news on when I will start selling these again. I am looking at having limited kits available by the end of January but warn that these kits will probably not be free of the bubbles. After tireless research, I would have to make some major changes in my mold designs, buy a vacuum chamber for the silicone and a pressure chamber for the resin to get near perfect casts. With my limited living space and budget for this project, I will just try to keep my current method going and find better solutions to reduce the air being trapped. The great thing this time around is that the parts will mostly fit with higher accuaracy, almost no issues with shrinkage to the molds. Hoping to design some packaging inserts this week so all the kits can be packed more efficiently. My kids have volunteered to help me make more boxes for future kits, I promised ice cream for labor! Updates to come soon I hope. Stay tuned!

Filter looks cool, nice idea recycling that. Really adds that imperial interior feel to it.

sorry Dennis if I missed answering your question about the socket holes. From this recent M19 photo of the socket at a glance, it doesn't look like the same bulb setup I have. Hard to tell exactly. Chris, if you gets a chance, could you get a detail photo of the side socket?

Where do you find these scopes? The latest is perfect. Interested to see the shape of the light socket bulb. Heard there might be two different types of bulbs. <br> Congrats on the find. Looking forward to see the entire fleet of scopes in kit form. The M38 mounting screws look great too, saw them in your sales thread. Drooling!

Thanks guys. Will try to get my pack up to specs soon.

Dana, thanks a ton for sharing this. Its extremely helpful to get lots of info, especially casting with clear resins. I am still a novice at this and hearing how others cast their resin makes a huge difference. Those grips look amazing. to hear that it must go though that whole process and still have a chance of failure has certainly outlined how futile my attempts have been. Pressure casting seems the best and proper way to go for bubble free casts. Maybe I will have to consider building a pressure chamber in the near future somehow. The resin I bought cures super quick so degassing might not be an option but at least some pressure would help during the curing process I think. The part I am casting is quite small so nothing like those grips. Hopefully I can find a middle ground for now to get some casted without too many bubbles. Going to check out that RU-525 stuff but guessing its not possible to get here in Japan without paying a fortune. Thanks so much again for your help. Now I know its not just me making a mess of things and see its quite common to battle the bubbles. Chime in anytime you see something I might be doing wrong or could try alternatively. Cheers!

Quick few shots of my pack in action from a fun day out trooping with my garrison. Still not finished but wanted to get some use out of it before the Rogue One season ends. Still need to: dye the alice pack and straps one more time trim the antenna tube at the bottom trim the antenna at the top and add better cap trim the canvas roll straps to proper lengths add the slider buckles at various points spray the ammo box insert black add weathering adjust the front shoulder strap lengths and get a pauldron- tried making one myself but could not finish in time. It was scary to put on at first and feared my armor cracking or scratching but actually it was comfortable to wear. I did find a few cracks on some return edges but think it was due to packing my armor in the suitcase. Can't wait to finish it now. Thanks to you guys for all the info and supply help. Could not have been possible without you. I was so happy to get it assembled I wore it on the way to and from the trooping event on the train. Lots of weird looks but I wore it with pride!

Had a moment this weekend to try out the new clear resin I ordered for the M19 light socket bulb. First test casting did not go as planned. The Hobby Cast NX resin cures very quickly so I worked within the 100 seconds available before it gels. Either I got the unequally mixed parts A & B or the colder room temperature caused the resin to remain in a soft rubber like state. after noticing the resin looked soft past the 30 minute cure time, I used a desk lamp as a heat source to assist the curing process but to no avail. Last night I tried a second time using the desk lamp right after injecting the molds with resin. In short the cured as stated within 20-30min but riddled with air bubbles. Sorry, the photos below are from the first test. I will post the second test photos tomorrow if I get a chance. At the moment I am still unsure how to cast this clear piece consistently and free of bubbles using either resin I bought. Any suggested ideas or methods are greatly appreciated.

Thanks Kman for the advice. I do use a similar technique when making my silicone molds. I use a small fish tank air pump to vibrate the mold to help release bubbles trapped near the surface of the item I am molding. I will try this tonight with the clear resin. I hadn't considered it because this clear resin I am using cures in 20-30min. Only 100 seconds pot life so I have to work quick. The bubbles might still be forced out with vibration as you suggest if I can get them filled before it gels up. Let you know how it goes. Appreciate the help.

Thanks for the tips. I already did some trimming on a few cracked areas out of concern thinking reinforcing wasnt going to stop the cracks from spreading but will try reinforcing first for the latest crack I found. Cheers.

Thanks. I know you have been waiting patiently and hope to get you a scope kit soon. The M38 scope kit parts seem to cast well with some minor trapped air pockets on the surface. The surfaces I am referring to are all the sides that face inside when assembled so they will not be seen. The visible surfaces for each part are perfectly fine. I just hate not being able to get these parts bubble free. Looking into alternative methods to cast using syringes, hoping this will cut down on those air pockets. It is a one shot deal, one you use the syringe it has to be tossed so its another item I will have to purchase in bulk. Using dollar store syringes now for testing, works well sometimes but not 100%. My molds need an extra spout for the syringe to be inserted so the air goes out the other spouts when I inject the resin. No room or cash for a pressure chamber so that is not in the cards at the moment.

Thanks for replying. Do you think its better to trim down & remove the crack along the return edge to reduce stress to that area? I might try Fibreglass resin to add suppprt & strength if I can find where they sell in here in Japan. Never worked with it before, a bit worried about making a mess of it. Cheers!

Just wondering if other members here who troop in RS PVC armor have experienced cracks on various parts of the armor along the return edges. I started getting a few cracks here and there in weaker areas of the armor especially along curved return edges. Is it better to reinforce the return edge with a support strip leaving the crack or better to trim down the return edge removing the crack and then reinforce the area? I choce to remove the cracks on some parts as I was afraid the crack would only get worse. I want to preserve the return edge as much as possible but if leaving it as is, I think it will only cause more cracking along the edge. The PVC was quite flexible at first but noticed it has started to weaken these days. Is fiberglass recommended for adding support to the vulnerable areas? Or better to stick with strips of PVC? I tried lots of PVC types of glues and epoxies to mend cracks but nothing works. Any helped greatly appreciated.

Awesome! Love the circut board detail.

Great. I will try to give a better assessment this weekend about kit sales. I am a bit slow making these so it might be a while. Hope to have good news this weekend for you and anyone waiting to purchase a kit.

Hi Brian. Yes, these will be offered soon. I am just working out some casting issues with some of the smaller parts. Once those issues are reduced I will start an interest list for both the M38 and M19 scope kits. Which one are you interested in?

Bipod looks awesome as with the rest of your build. Super work!

Short Project Update- Stared a few test castings of both scopes and parts- M38 testing well, very clean castings so far. Hope to get all the parts casted a few times and test fit them. So far all the parts are 99% in proportion making it possible to screw the threaded parts on like the real scope with a little bit of persuasion . M19 testing at 90%, still getting large air pockets on one end of the scope. Good news, the scope is fully hollow inside- removed the inner reticle assembly and side light socket bulb before making the mold. Light socket bulb tests are promising but not satisfactory yet. Test casting with Pro Crystal 880, very clear castings only achievable using a syringe to inject the resin otherwise bubble heaven. Still not perfect though. Takes 2-3 days to fully cure due to the winter temperature here. Need a heat lamp to speed things up. Ordered another clear resin called Hobby Cast Resin NX that cures in 20-30 minutes. Trial that this weekend when it arrives. Pro Crystal 880 does not turn yellow over time and Hobby Cast NX does. That is the only drawback but the NX resin sounds easier to work with. 2-3 days wait sucks especially when you find out the casting failed. Report back my findings. Thanks for stopping by!